Mayor Bill de Blasio has proposed a way to pay for subway repairs and half-price MetroCards for lower-income New Yorkers. His plan involves raising the city's highest income tax rate about 0.5%, to 4.4%, for married couples with annual income above $1 million and individuals making at least $500,000. The state Legislature would have to approve the increases. [The New York Times]

Plus: De Blasio's tax proposal has virtually no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate, but a plan for congestion pricing does. [Crain’s New York Business]

Also: The recent slide de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's popularity is due to their handling—or not handling—of the subway crisis. [Greg David on New York]

LaGuardia's repairman has rough task

As CEO of the LaGuardia Gateway Partners consortium, Stewart Steeves is leading the $4 billion-plus revamp of LaGuardia Airport. Working out of Terminal B, Steeves' 80-person staff is supervising alterations such as a new central arrivals and departures hall and 2 miles of additional taxiway while ensuring consistent operations at the hub. [Crain’s New York Business]

Male lawyers are the majority in NY courtrooms

A New York State Bar Association analysis of state and federal courts in late 2016 found that 38.2% of lawyers representing public entities and 19.4% representing private parties were women. The association recommends that law practices give more lead-attorney opportunities to female associates earlier in their careers. [The Wall Street Journal]

City pays de Blasio donor's law firm

Grant & Eisenhofer, whose Jay Eisenhofer was a top contributor to Mayor Bill de Blasio, was recently paid $570,332 in legal fees and $189,207 in expenses from a settlement the law firm helped obtain for the city from oil company Petrobras. The city's Law Department said Eisenhofer's donations did not affect the hiring decision. [Daily News]

Apartment-vacancy surge predicted prematurely

The city's apartment vacancy rate is unlikely to jump in the next two years, even with the arrival of tens of thousands of new units. A recent report from real estate platform Ten-X Commercial predicted a rate of 11% by 2019, but it turns out the report covered a specific subset of market-rate apartments in larger buildings. [Crain’s New York Business]

'Telabortion' demand exists in NY

So-called telabortion may have a future in New York state, according to Merle Hoffman, president and CEO of Choices Women's Medical Center in Jamaica, Queens. Hoffman, who helped start one of the nation's first legal abortion clinics in Flushing in 1971, said there's demand for abortions handled largely remotely but that regulatory challenges remain. [Crain’s Health Pulse]

Prisoners to hit the books under Cuomo plan

The Cuomo administration is awarding over $7 million in grants to schools statewide to more than triple the number of inmates taking college-level courses. The funding was culled from bank settlements secured by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. [The New York Times]

Odds could be long for fantasy sports sites

DraftKings and FanDuel, the nation's two biggest daily fantasy sports sites, face the existential challenge this NFL season of luring and retaining casual players even as experts rake in most of the winnings. The two companies called off a merger last month amid regulatory scrutiny. [The Wall Street Journal]

Fox News star suspended over alleged lewd texts

Fox News has suspended longtime host Eric Bolling for allegedly texting photos of male genitalia to at least three female colleagues. The network is investigating the texts, which were apparently sent several years ago. Bill O'Reilly, formerly Fox News' biggest star, and Roger Ailes, its founder and chairman, were forced out earlier this year amid sexual harassment allegations. [The New York Times]

Music businesses such as Midtown-based EI Media Group are capitalizing on demand from retailers and restaurants for distinctive background music, streaming software and high-end audio systems. Music is seen as a way to help draw consumers away from online activities, including shopping. EI Media's business has grown an average of 30% to 40% a year, according to founder Josh Katz. [Crain’s New York Business]

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